


Cowboy Like Me

by timelesslords



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Drinking, F/M, Flirting, One Shot, POV Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson), Rated T for language lol, Slow Dancing, Stealing, just imagine this is set in an ambiguous time before the internet, listen cowboy like me just does something to me ok, you know how it goes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelesslords/pseuds/timelesslords
Summary: Annabeth Chase is a thief, and a good one at that. She has backup plans for her backup plans, and tonight's job could make her rich. What she hadn't expected was a stranger asking her to dance derailing her night.Dancing is a dangerous game. But maybe worth it, in the end.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	Cowboy Like Me

Annabeth Chase shuffled her feet against the ground below, wishing for the millionth time that night that she were wearing shoes more practical than heels. She might've gotten away with it this time too; the party had been set up on the country club's repurposed tennis courts, shrouded in tent-like structures. It had been a last-minute change, one that had almost thrown a wrench in Annabeth's plans. 

Almost.

Annabeth wasn't about to let her scheme be ruined by a simple location change. So it would make the execution a little more tricky, the escape all the more dicey, so what? The basics of the plan were the same. Get Jason Grace to dance with her. Slip the $100,000 dollar watch off his wrist. Hide it away just as fast. Mingle for a bit to avoid suspicion, the watch safely tucked away in a concealed pocket of her dress. Dissolve into the night, never to be seen again, at least not by this town. It was lonely work, being a thief, but it paid so well Annabeth could never complain.

It might be a little harder to get to her getaway car now that slipping out the club's bathroom window wasn't an option, but it wasn't the end of the world. Annabeth had backup plans for her backup plans. The change in venue was just a hiccup. 

She'd already done the legwork of flirting with Jason over the course of a few parties, taking up the fake identity of a Richmond socialite who was just now entering the Nashville scene. It had worked so far, nobody suspected a thing. And she'd managed to score an invite to the town's most prestigious and most crowded event of the season. Perfect cover for what she was about to do. 

A new song started, and Annabeth considered making her move. It would be an opportune moment, not too deep in the night that she would have to back out quickly, not too early as to be too forward. The drinks have been flowing for well over an hour, and just about everyone but Annabeth has partaken. Words are slurred, inhibitions lowered. Annabeth scans the crowd, looking for him. 

She met a different gaze instead.

A man she hadn't noticed before, though she's not sure how she could have missed him. Dark black hair, eyes the color of the sea, a tall build, but not too bulky. Wearing a suit that made all suits seem as though they existed just to be worn by him. 

He was looking at her, and she realized with a start that she had been staring back at him, meeting his eyes in a sort of desperate connection. She looked away, but it was too late. He was headed her way.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This could not be the thing that ruined everything. She had too much riding on this. And yet as he drew closer and closer to her, she felt herself unable to pull away. Maybe if she hadn't stared at him earlier she could've made a polite escape. 

"Would you like to dance?" He asked. He had a nice face, an interested expression, but something about him gave her pause. It didn't look quite genuine– it was the type of look she had given a hundred times before, to a hundred men who had believed her. But she couldn't refuse without being impolite, potentially making a scene, and wasting a little time now was much better than being memorable later. 

"I'd love to." Annabeth lied, plastering on a neutrally pleasant expression and accepting his outstretched hand. 

"So... you're the Silena Beauregard I've been hearing about all night." he said, as they stepped onto the dance floor and began to move in time. Annabeth noted with annoyance that they fell into rhythm together perfectly. 

"That's me." She said, with a fake smile. 

She had chosen the mostly-forgotten name of the daughter of a successful, but private designer. Nobody had seen Silena in years, much less this far south. It was an ideal cover, real enough to get her into these places, but not so public or suspicious as to draw attention. Faking the documents had been easy after that. People down here tended to believe these sorts of things, didn’t bother to vet them so hard. A few photos, the flash of a driver's license, and word around town was all it had taken to get her into the inner circle.

"Only, I don't think you are." The man continued casually. Annabeth masked her shock well, though her blood ran cold at his words. He had the same expression as before, that polite interest, only now there was a hint of a smile. 

"I don’t understand." she asked, feigning surprise. 

It wasn't hard. She had done her homework on this one, done the paperwork expertly, and had been playing off this identity for weeks. There was no way anybody should know, much less this– this  _ man _ , who, come to think of it, Annabeth didn't recognize from her other research of who would be here tonight. She would have remembered his face, she was sure of it.

"Well," the man said, and this only highlighted Annabeth's realization that she did not know his name," Jason did hire me to do his security. I did a little digging on you. Turns out Silena Beauregard hasn't left the Hamptons in years. Also, she's a brunette."

The last bit seemed to amuse him, but Annabeth wasn’t laughing. Oh hell. This was bad. 

"I can assure you–" Annabeth started, but the man cut her off with a smirk.

"Oh, it's fine. I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't give my real name either." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Annabeth asked, finally dropping the act. It was clear she wasn't getting out of here without getting through this person first, and if he was willing to talk before he turned her in, well, maybe she could think of another plan on the fly.

"You're here for the watch, right?" The man said, in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. Annabeth didn't reply.

"It's alright." he said, correctly taking her silence as an admission of guilt, "So am I."

Annabeth stared at him. He had a wicked grin on his face, and she tried not to think about how much the expression suited him.

"I thought you were the security." Annabeth said. The man just shrugged.

"I like to multi-task." 

Annabeth had to force down the bubble of laughter that built in her throat. It was absurd, he was definitely lying to her, so why were they sharing a conspiratorial grin.

"You can't be serious." Annabeth said. 

"I'm very serious." He said, "And I'm getting the feeling that you are too. We could go halfsies on it, if you want." 

"I'm not going– I'm not doing that."

"I mean, I could always just turn you in now." He said, shrugging again. Annabeth suddenly felt very aware of his hand in hers, his arm on her back.

"Why haven't you already?" she asked. It felt ridiculous to still be dancing, but the man carried on like nothing was wrong, just continuing to sway around to the rhythm. 

"I thought about it," he admitted, "but where would the fun be in that?" 

Annabeth stared at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded. 

"You first." He said, his green eyes meeting hers. They were the color of emeralds, which was a stupid thought to be having now, of all times. Annabeth knew emeralds well. She had stolen a lot of them.

"Don't you already know?" she asked. 

"Knowing you're lying and knowing who you really are are two different things."

Annabeth was silent, trying to re-order her thoughts. Giving this man her name– that would be ridiculous. She could just make something up, something random, keep herself a secret. But something told her that he would know if she was lying, and if she did he wouldn't tell her who he was. Something in Annabeth desperately wanted to know his name. 

"Annabeth." she said, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. The man grinned at her, genuine and bright. Something in Annabeth's chest swelled at the sight of it.

"I'm Percy." he said. 

"So Percy," Annabeth said, trying to ignore how the word sounded in her mouth,  _ Percy, Percy, Percy _ , "Are you going to turn me in now?" 

"Are you going to accept my offer?" he asked, eyes glittering. 

"What, to go half and half? After I do all the work?" Annabeth asked. 

"I wouldn't call it  _ all _ the work." Percy said, "I'll keep the rest of the security detail distracted. You got somewhere to hide it?"

"Of course I do." Annabeth said, balking. Did he think she was some amateur? 

"Good, then it's settled." Percy said, with a note of finality.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Annabeth asked, "What if you're doing this to just– catch me in the act, or something?" 

The song was drawing to a close, the rest of the dancers were starting to slow, but Percy didn't seem to notice. He was looking at her very intensely, but Annabeth held his gaze just as strong.

"I haven't met someone like me in a long time." He said, finally. 

"What, a swindler?" Annabeth asked, because that was what she was, really, as much as she tried to pass it off as something else. A thief, a good one, but still nothing more. Percy gave her a lopsided grin.

"I prefer the term cowboy myself. More exciting." 

Annabeth did laugh at that, because it was utterly ridiculous to be bantering over the semantics of their profession in a crowded party, full of people they were about to deceive. 

Things had been turned upside down. For all the backup plans Annabeth had, she had never planned for this specific scenario. She should be freaking out, should be making her escape. Instead, Annabeth felt a sudden, uncharacteristic rush of excitement. Maybe she would let this boy wreck her plans. Something in her gut was telling her to do it, and Annabeth had gotten a long way by listening to her gut. Besides, if she didn't he would just turn her in anyways. And really, if there were more security people here, it couldn’t hurt to have an extra eye out.

“I’ll go 80-20, to me.” she said.

“70-30.” he countered, grinning now that she was on board, playing the game. 

“Fine.” Annabeth said, because the song was wrapping up, and 70-30 wasn’t so bad a deal. 

"Meet me outside in 45 minutes. Parking lot behind the bathrooms." she whispered as the song finally came to a close. He smiled, nodded, squeezed her hand. And then he left, vanishing into the crowd like he was just another guest. 

Annabeth stared at the place where he'd been, feeling winded and exhilarated all at once. 

"Silena?" 

Annabeth turned around with a start, suddenly remembering she had a facade to put on with everyone else. Jason was standing behind her, looking kind and tired as always.

"Oh! I'm sorry, you startled me." Annabeth said, counting to ten, restructuring herself. 

She was not Annabeth Chase, thief extraordinaire. She was Silena Beauregard, a socialite with manners and money and class. She smiled, and Jason returned it. She did feel a little bad about tricking Jason. Not about taking the watch, Jason Grace had more money than anybody needed, and the watch was just another accessory to him. He was nice though, not arrogant and cruel like the other rich men she often stole from. And maybe he was truly interested in her, though she sensed it was only out of obligation; like he had to entertain the idea of being enthralled with her because his money demanded a match of his status. Well, he wouldn't have to entertain the idea much longer. Just another dance, if she was lucky. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Jason said, "I was just wondering if you'd like to dance."

Annabeth put on her most stunning, charming smile. 

"I'd love to." 

Jason returned her smile, and Annabeth noted with a slight twinge that it looked a little less tired than usual, a little more genuinely happy. Couldn't be helped, unfortunately, but it still made her feel the slightest bit bad. But Jason Grace would be just fine once Annabeth disappeared. 

"I hope he didn't give you too much trouble. He's from my security team." Jason said, nodding in Percy’s direction and leading her onto the dance floor. Annabeth giggled, a small titter that was completely unlike her real laugh. 

"Oh no." she said, "No, he just didn't want to look lonely out there. Or so he told me." 

"I did ask him to blend in with the crowd." Jason said. 

"He was very nice." Annabeth assured him, once again feeling a spike of pity for Jason. He was about to be betrayed two times over tonight. 

"So, are you enjoying the party?" Jason asked, "I'm sorry about the change of venue, something about a plumbing problem inside. Just couldn't be helped, unfortunately."

"I think it's lovely out here." Annabeth said, surprising herself with how truthful the statement was "And I'm having a wonderful time." 

It was coming up soon, the part of the song that would indicate Jason to twirl her around. It was the most opportune moment to snag the watch, the part of the dance where her hand would be closest to his wrist, where a little extra movement wouldn't raise alarm.

"I'm glad." Jason said, giving her a warm smile. 

And then it happened, the music swelled, Annabeth twirled, moving her hand deftly as she did, unclasping the watch with one hand, slipping it into her pocket. It all happened in less than a second, and Jason was none the wiser. Annabeth's heart was pounding, the thrill of the job catching up with her. She looked just beyond Jason's gaze, and saw Percy standing in the crowd, looking straight at her. He took a sip of his drink, but Annabeth caught his smile before the glass obscured it. 

The rest of the dance went smoothly. Annabeth flirted, Jason politely flirted back, completely unaware that his wrist was suddenly much lighter than it had been minutes before. He was nearly warmed up to her too, by the time the song ended, but thankfully another girl tapped his shoulder, asking for his time. Annabeth was only too happy to slip back into the crowd, mingle a little longer, before she could make her escape. 

The 45 minutes she'd promised Percy shrunk into 30 minutes, then 10. She avoided him all the while, but five minutes before their scheduled meeting time, she slipped out the back of the tent and saw him do the same a few yards away. 

He grinned at her, and she grinned back, peeling off her heels and dashing through the lush grass of the country club, not caring about the grass stains on her skirt or the mud between her toes. She had done it,  _ they _ had done it, and now they were going to get away with it too. This was always the best part of her nights, but she’d never had someone to share it with before, someone to revel in the thrill of the game with her. Percy caught up to her laughing, and they ran the rest of the way to the parking lot together, not caring that it was suspicious as hell, because they were basically home free now, even if they realized something was wrong in this instant they had a huge head start. 

Annabeth hopped over the side of her old beat up convertible, giggling as she fumbled with the keys. Percy followed suit, jumping into the passenger's seat with a mad laugh that only electrified Annabeth's spirit. 

"Go, go, go!" he said, clearly riding the high of their success just as much as she was, and Annabeth obliged, turning on the ignition and gunning on the gas.

In about 20 minutes Jason was going to realize something was wrong, the party would be shut down, guests would cry and whine as they were fruitlessly kept inside the tent, being searched for a watch that was long, long gone. Percy and Annabeth would be miles away, free as the wind, another hundred grand between them. And maybe, Annabeth thought, as she tore down the long driveway of the country club, Percy laughing beside her, she wouldn't have to be quite so lonely anymore. 

  
  



End file.
